Needle sharpening device



18, 1946. w. c. FREELAND 2,402,245

NEEDLE SHARPENING DEVICE 2 Shee ts-Sheet l Filed Aug. 6, 1945 INVENTOR.

WARD C. FREELAND J1me 3946. w. c. FREELAND NEEDLE SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Aug. e, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvzvrox. WARD c. FREELAND ATTORNEYS Patented June 18, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEEDLE SHARPENING DEVICE Ward C. Freeland, Vassar, ApplicationAugust 6, 1945, Serial 1%. 609,121

The invention relates to means for sharpening needles and more particularly hypodermic needles.

It is the object. oftheIihverition to obtain a construction which will sharpen the needle to a point of predetermined shape;

It is a further object to obtain a construction which in its use requires no particular sliiil on the part of the operator. a a

It is a further object to obtain a construction in which the needle can be sharpened without the necessityof detaching the same from the syringe. With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter set; forth.

In the drawings: s

Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofthe needle holder and adapter showing the latter detached;

Fig. 2' is a plan view showing a syringe and attached needle in engagement with the holder;

Fig. 3 is a Vertical lohgitildihall section on lil'i Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view" through the block'A with a needle E in position to be sharpened on an abrasive member;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the sharpened needle.

Hypodermic needles are usually pointed by grinding the end portion at an oblique angle to the needle axis. Such grinding may be in a single plane but a sharper point is produced if the needle is ground in two planes to form the apex of the point at the intersection of said planes. This Will produce a symmetrical shape with respect to the axis of the needle which will penetrate the flesh without tendency towards lateral deflection. my invention to obtain a holder for the needle which, first, will hold it rigid during the grinding opertion and, second, will guide the abrasive member to form a symmetrical point thereon, the construction being as follows. A is a block having a base surface A and upper faces A and A which latter are at a predetermined angle to each other and intersect in a line A extending obliquely with respect to the base longitudinally thereof. Actually the intersecting faces A and A form a ridge along the line A. B is a needle receiving bore extending longitudinally through the block A parallel to the base thereof in a median plane between contains the line A. The axis of the bore intersects this line A so that the openings through the faces A and A respectively are symmetrical. To adapt the device for receiving different gauge needles, a plurality of said bores may be passed the faces A A which 6 Claims. (01. 51 -221) through the block. and, as specifically shown in It is the primary object of Fig. 3', a second bore B is arranged vertically above'the bore B. Each of these bores preferablyhas a counterbore portion B so that the pot;- tion's B and B are restricted in length to receive needles of minimum length. The block A is-prferably mounted on a base member C which extends in rear of said block. This'rearwai'dl-y'xtending portion has a channel. C therein for re ceiving an exchangeable longitodinany adjustable member D'. The memberD constitutes an adapter for engaging either the needle or the syringe to which the needle is attachedand aligning the needle with the bore B or B correspondin -there: to. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3,.the adapter D engages the body E of a syringe and a. clamping screw Fjis provided to hold the two in rigid relation to each other. There is" also provided another clamping screw G in the channeled base C for holding the member D after proper longitu- -dinal adjustment of the same.

With the constfuo'tion' as above described, the operator'- desiring to sharpen a hypodermic needle before use thereof is not required to detach it from the syringe. He first selects an adapter D for fitting the syringe and registering the needle E thereof with its corresponding bore, such as B. The adapter is then moved longitudinally in the channeled base C so as to project the outer end of the needle slightly beyond the faces A A The clamping screw G is then tightened which will hold the needle rigidly in this position. The sharpening is eifected by a suitable abrasive member or hone H, which can be re ciprocated in contact with the projecting portion of the needle successively parallel to the faces A and A of the block A. When the needle is ground down to the planes of said faces, the apex E of the point will be in the line A and the ground portions E and E in rear thereof will be symmetrical as shown in Fig. 5.

It is obvious that the operation just described requires very little skill on the part of the operator and can be performed very quickly. Also, that the sharpened point will always be symmetrical and of the desired shape.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A sharpener for hypodermic needles comprising a block having intersecting faces at a predetermined angle to each other, said block being provided with a needle receiving bore located in a median plane between said faces and at an oblique angle to the line of intersection thereof, and means for rigidly holding a hypodermic needle in said bore to project slightly beyond said faces whereby the grinding oil of said proiecting portion to the planes of said faces will produce a symmetrical shrapened point.

2. A sharpener for hypodermic needles comprising a block having a base portion and faces above the same at a predetermined angle to each other and intersecting in a line extending at an oblique angle to said base portion, said block having one or more needle receiving bores extending therethrough parallel to said base portion and in a median plans-ibetween said faces passing through the line oi'intersection thereof,

and means secured to said base portion for holding a hypodermic needle rigidly in said bore to project slightly beyond said faces.

3. A sharpener for hypodermic needles comprising a block having a base portion and faces above the same at a predetermined angle to each other and intersecting in a line extending at an oblique angle to said base portion, said block having one or more needle receiving bores extending therethrough parallel to said base portion and in a medianplane between said faces passing through the line of intersection thereof, an exchangeable adapter for holding a hypodermic needle to register the same Withone of said bores, said adapter being longitudinally adjustable on said base portion to project the needle slightlybeyond said faces, and clamping means for rigidly holding the adapter in its adjusted position.

4. A sharpener for hypodermic needles comprising a block having a base portion and faces above the same at a predetermined angle to each other and intersecting in a line extendingat an oblique angle to said base portion; said block having one or more needle receiving bores extending therethrough parallel to said base portion and in a median plane between said faces passing through the line of intersection thereof, and an adapter for engaging a syringe to which a hypodermic needle is attached and for registering the latter with one of said bores, said adapter being adjustable on said base portion to insert said needle in said bore and to project the same slightly beyond said faces.

5. A sharpener for hypodermic needles comprising a base member, a block secured to a forward portion of said base member and having faces at a predetermined angle to each other intersecting in aline extending at an oblique angle to said base member longitudinally thereof, said block having one or more needle receiving bores extending longitudinally therethrough parallel to said base member and in a, median plane between said faces passing through the line of intersection thereof, the portion of said base member in rear of said block having a channel therein and an exchangeable adapter for engaging a syringe to which a hypodermic needle is attached, said adapter being slidable in said channel and fashioned to register the needle with one of said bores, means for clamping said syringe in said adapten'and means for clamping the adapter to said channel after adjusting the same to insert the needle through said bore and to project slightly beyond said faces whereby said needle is held rigidly in relation to said faces during a grinding operation.

6. A sharpener for hypodermic needles comprising a base member having a channel portion, a block on said base member in line with said channel portion and having intersectin faces forming a ridge,'said block also having a needle receiving bore in line with said channel and intersecting said ridge, and means for holding a hypodermic needle in said bore so that an end of said needle projects slightly beyond said ridge and may be ground down to the planes of said intersecting faces to produce a symmetrical sharpened point, including a member adjustable longitudinally of the channel portion of said base member.

WARD C. FREELAND. 

